This invention relates to seizure monitors, and more particularly relates to means for monitoring movements attributable to seizures and convulsions of patients having epilepsy or other seizure disorders.
As is well known by those skilled in the art, it is common practice to attach electrodes to patients to observe bio-electrical body functions. For instance, electrical activity of the heart may be monitored by electrodes interconnected with the body. Unfortunately, electrodes are inconvenient and tend to become detached from the patient, wherein false alarms and patient-anxiety are undesirable sideeffects. Furthermore, if and when, a patient awakes while being observed and monitored, electrodes are likely to result in physical and psychological discomfort, and inhibited mobility. Such adverse reactions to monitoring devices are obviously contrary to efforts to remedy and improve a patient's infirmity and to improve a patient's well-being.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,766, Alihanka et al. attempt to improve the art with a "static charge sensitive bed" that records signals corresponding to a patient's body movements while disposed in a supine position in bed. Configured with an antenna assembly to communicate amplified signals for recording changes in static charges produced by body movements, this bed may be used to monitor a patient's motor activity during sleep. Instead of using electrodes or the like, the Alihanka bed is constructed with a built-in antenna assembly consisting of plates, nets, or rods arranged in a matrix contained in a supplemental mattress disposed either between the patient and the regular mattress or beneath the regular mattress. However this assembly is complicated and somewhat cumbersome to apply to patients, and to operate without inadvertent interference by patients.
Notwithstanding these and related developments in the art, there appears to be no apparatus which provides a means for providing accurate, reliable, and interference-free signals corresponding to the motor movements of patients experiencing seizures, convulsions, and other sleep disorders during periods of sleep.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, wherein a seizure monitoring apparatus is provided that is particularly useful for enabling accurate and unobtrusive monitoring and recording of movements attributable to seizures and convulsions of patients having epilepsy or other seizure disorders.